The four-round series was hyped during the winter as being “like four Australian Championships” and the first round lived up to the hype with three of last season’s championship finalists reaching the final, and round two will again feature the top eight placegetters from last season’s championship.

Although Darrin Treloar produced a vintage Treloar display, with new passenger Jesse Headland, to blitz the opposition and go unbeaten in the first round, all riders only count their best three-point scores in the series so there is still everything to race for, and a rider who had a disappointing first round can still win the series.

Current Australian Champions Trent Headland/Darryl Whetstone finished second behind Treloar in the final of the first round, with former Oceania Champion Mark Plaisted (passenger Ben Pitt) third, and current World Cup Champions Warren Monson/Andrew Summerhayes fourth, and the top point scores currently are Treloar/J. Headland 19, T. Headland/Whetstone 15, Plaisted/Pitt 15, Monson/Summerhayes and Damien Niesche/Mitchell Spear 10.

As in round one, the top eight riders from last season’s Australian Championship — Trent Headland, Andrew Buchanan, Warren Monson, Darrin Treloar, Dave Bottrell, Mark Mitchell, Damien Niesche and Mark Plaisted — are seeded into the main event Saturday night, but for this round they are also joined by the top scoring qualifiers from round one, Neale Hancock/Brock Gates, meaning nine seeded riders with seven to qualify from nine pre-meeting races.

With another hot afternoon predicted, the qualifying races will start later in the afternoon, at 5 pm, with each rider getting three rides and the fastest seven by their 4 lap times qualifying. Riders in the qualifying events include former World Track Racing Champion Mick Headland, former Victorian champion Byren Gates and New Zealanders Dylan Moohan and Jamie Moohan.

The main event starts at the regular time of 7.30pm and admission prices have been kept at the normal cost of $25 for Adults, Age Pension & Student Concession $20, Children aged 12-15 $5, Under 12 free and Family $55.

Top photo: Seeded riders Andrew Buchanan/Denny Cox (blue) and Neale Hancock/Brock Gates (yellow) sit just behind the top point scorers with 9 points each and will be trying to push into the top four on Saturday night. Photo by Mike Gerlach JDM Photos.